Searching For You
by Winter Winks 221
Summary: Everyone knows what happened to Greg and Wirt over the garden wall- but what happened to those left behind? *Characters belong to Pat McHale, but I did develop on the ones who don't talk* Reviews appreciated!


Sara bit her lip, watching as her old friend Funderberker explained everything about the graveyard gathering to the police, in the hopes that they wouldn't really get into trouble or trespassing- seeing as they hadn't caused any damage.

Mandy, Dylan and Emily hovered around Sara, wondering what was going to happen to them for this misdemeanor.

"Hey, so this did not turn out like how I planned." Mandy said, her face reddening. "Sorry, guys- I know you guys had fun until the cops showed up."

Sara managed a shaky smile at her cousin. "It's okay, Mandy. We're getting out of this. Jason knows how to get out of a jam."

But Mandy noted that Sara looked ill at ease- her cousin's shoulders were tense, and she was gnawing at her lip. Her hands were balled into sweaty fists and her eyes kept darting around the graveyard, almost as if expecting someone to pop up.

"Hey, did anyone see where Wirt and Greg went?" the clown dressed girl asked worriedly, looking at her friends.

"I saw them go over the wall." Dylan offered. "Wirt climbed up that tree," he pointed to an oak tree by the back wall of the cemetery, "and Greg followed him, before they jumped off the other side."

"Did you actually see them jump?" Asked Emily, pushing her glasses onto the bridge of her nose like a nosy librarian.

"No," Admitted Dylan, removing his cardboard computer helmet. "I did see them on the wall before I looked to see where you guys were hiding," he jerked a thumb to Emily and Mandy. But when I next looked at the wall, they'd gone. And surely, they'd have turned up by now. At least, Greg would have. And if Greg had, Wirt would be behind him."

"But my dad runs the black train- the railroad runs along that wall," Said Emily with horror. "That train would have been due to pass here around then!"

Mandy didn't like how worried Emily was; and the thought of anything happening to the Foster brothers was clearly getting to Sara, even if she wasn't saying so.

"Hey, I'm worried about them too, going over the wall," she said, adjusting her witch hat atop her head before wrapping her arm round Sara's shoulders. "But hey, Wirt's surprisingly resilient, when he's not moping. And Greg has spunk."

"True," Sara smiled weakly. "Thanks Mandy."

"No problem, coz," Beamed Mandy. "I'm confident the guys will be fine."

….

But there was no sign of either boy; not after half an hour, or forty-five minutes, nor an hour. The four friends we're starting to feel anxious about Witt and Greg.

"Hey, I explained everything to the cops,"

The four teens swung round to see Jason Funderberker had rejoiced them. "We're not in any trouble, provided we go home soon and don't cause havoc."

"Yeah, way up, Funderberker!" Dylan whooped. "You got us out of trouble! This is why you're the best debater!"

"No, he's the best debater cos he's the best," Said Emily, blushing.

"Well, it was nothing," Replied Jason. "So, shall we just head for home?"

Dylan and Emily were in agreement, but Sara shook her head furiously.

"I'm not leaving anywhere until Wirt and Greg show up. They could need help!" She pointed out fiercely, folding her arms.

Jason was stunned. His best friend was so chill most of the time, that her protective lioness side still caught him off guard- even after all these years.

"I'll stay with her, guys," Said Mandy, reassuringly, tilting her hat. "Just in case. You guys better head home. Your parents will be worried sick about you all."

"No way, man! If my parents ground me for helping my friends, I'll…. I'll ground them for teaching me conflicting values with no grey area!"

"Um, that's not how the hierarchy of society works, Dylan." The witch dressed teen replied, a twinkle in her eyes. Even Sara managed a small grin at the thought of Dylan uprising against his parents- like his costume, the supposed rebellious computer, 547K, from an old movie he claimed he saw.

"Um, I'm staying too," Emily decided bravely, shifting closer to the gang before she could change her mind. "What about you, Jason?" She asked shyly, her cheeks a tint of red.

Jason had no intention of leaving the graveyard alone. He didn't like the thought of ditching his friends here; besides, even if he and Wirt often clashed with how they did things, as well as their mutual love for Sara- it didn't mean that he wasn't concerned for the teen poet's welfare at all.

"I'll stay too, then," He said at last, slinking over to join his friends. "We could always just explain to our parents later. Now is the time to stick together."

"Thanks, Funderberker," Sara said gratefully. "I really appreciate that. I appreciate that all of you are staying for Wirt and Greg's sakes."

"Hey, Greg's funny as the headless elephant!" Dylan chortled.

"And Wirt's our friend- even if he avoids us like the plague." Mandy added. "We'll get them home. Don't worry, dear cousin."

….

Following the first hour, the four teens played charades to take their minds off the worst in turn with looking out for the two brothers. But there was no sign of them, anywhere. So, they began to patrol the back of their cemetery, each pointing out strange names and pondering the lives of those people.

By far, one of the weirdest names was Quincy Endicott- which set them all off laughing at how peculiar the name was.

But Sara was too worried about Wirt to even relax for long. She hoped that he was okay. It was dark tonight, with it being so close to winter.

And, tonight could not have been a scarier night for her friend and crush to go missing- and his adorably oddball little brother, to boot.

….

Another hour had dragged since they had disappeared and there was still no sign of Greg or Wirt- or indeed, any sign that they were coming.

The teens were quickly tired of waiting and tried to debate what they should do next.

"I want to go home," grumbled Dylan. "I promised my little sis I'd be home for her bedtime."

"I want to go too," added Emily sadly. "I don't want to leave them here;, but it's looking futile the longer we wait here."

Jason wanted to go, too, but he said nothing.

Eventually, Mandy had to cede defeat. "We should head home," she suggested, wearily, taking off her hat to rub her forehead. "One of us should get our parents to call Wirt's parents and tell them the guys are missing and get the police back in to investigate."

But Sara refused to give in to the comforts of her home and family- this was too important to her to surrender now.

Wirt was too important to her to surrender now.

Without warning, Sara pounced on the tree and began climbing the trunk, feeling the tape in her pocket gently bounce off her from within her coat.

"SARA! Come back down here, it's too dangerous!"

It was Jason- but Sara ignored her old friend and instead sprang from wood to stone- before soaring and falling from stone to earth.

"Wirt! Greg! Where are you guys?!" she yelled, worriedly, tears stinging her eyes. "Wirt! Greg!" She fished out the torch from earlier out of her pocket and turned it on, before she sped across the train tracks.

The circle of light danced in a frenzied polka of terror and fear; but it brought her no hope, only uncertainty.

As she stopped on the brow of the hill, she became aware of footsteps behind her. Barely registering, she started to run down the hill, feeling the tears threaten to burst forth.

Oh, where were they?

Suddenly, from an ink-black river down below, a figure in a red gnome hat and blue cape emerged from the water- holding a small person on his back and… was that a frog? Where did it come from?

She saw his lips move, before he collapsed in a heap on the muddy shores.

"WIRT!"

Sara ran down the hill towards the brothers, thanking the heavens that Wirt was alive after all.

"Someone go and phone for an ambulance!" boomed Mandy, her army cadet training taking over as though she was on automatic mode. "Dylan, you're with me! We need to perform CPR on these two, now!"

Emily was the one who went for help, while as Mandy and Dylan performed CPR on Wirt and Greg. Jason comforted Sara.

"They'll be ok, Sara," he said reassuringly, squeezing her hand in his. "We know they're alive, and they'll get treated at the hospital."

Sara wavered, brushing her black hair from her face. "Thanks, Funderberker..." her face fell as she realized something.

"I appreciate you staying with me when I need you most… especially after what happened before…" she trailed off, remembering how she brushed away his attempt to show romantic affection to her.

"Well, you are my best friend, Sara- if you prefer to be with Wirt, I'll accept that. Besides, we're still friends, and always will be."

"Best friends?"

"I wouldn't have it anyway else."

Sara smiled at him before watching as Dylan finally managed to get some water out of Wirt's lungs. The teen coughed, but collapsed onto the ground, showing little sign of consciousness. Poor Greg wasn't much better off- he didn't even respond at all.

What Sara wouldn't give to hear his 'headless elephant' impression again!

But she'd give anything to hear Wirt again... whether he stuttered her name while saying hello in recess, or reciting his poetry, or asked her for help in Psychics.

She'd give anything just to hear him again...

….

By the time the ambulance came to take the Foster brothers to the hospital, Sara was once more biting her lip.

Her friends were hovering around her, wondering what was going to happen to the brothers for their venture over the garden wall.


End file.
